The following statement was released by Mr. Edward ‘Ned’ Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, in response to California Governor Jerry Brown’s 2017 Budget Proposal:

“As he has done with other Budgets throughout his tenure, Governor Brown has shown fiscal restraint and caution in his 2017 Budget Proposal. We commend him for his prudence but we also urge his careful stewardship of programs that help the poorest and most vulnerable Californians. Such priorities as providing an opportunity for all residents to obtain health care insurance, funding the Earned Income Tax Credit to fight poverty, and continuing assistance for naturalization of immigrants must receive a high priority – especially given the uncertainty in Washington and the Governor’s worries of another recession. Many of those programs were decimated during the Great Recession and economically those who need them the most have still not recovered. We cannot have the same situation develop again. Also of particular interest is how the Budget will address the important need to expand funding for early childhood education and to address the current teacher shortage crisis. This may be an opportunity for the legislature to look creatively at tax policy as a financially responsible means to assist children, their parents and teachers.”